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Post by Pastafarian on Nov 7, 2020 9:40:41 GMT -5
I know some of you are parents, and some librarians (I'm neither) so I thought I'd crowdsource this here. (also we don't seem to have a thread dedicated to this so opine on your favorites growing up or what have you)
I have a couple of nieces and a nephew who have birthdays coming up (and of course Christmas is also around the corner) and I like buying books as gifts. The thing is, not having kids of my own and not being one myself it's hard to know what to get them other than looking over what is getting the highest star ratings at Amazon or what have you. Do you have any suggestions? A couple of specifics
A niece who is 5, jury is still out but they think she might have a learning disability of some kind or mildly autistic so not sure what is best there but I assume at her age anyway it's going to be pretty simple picture book stuff.
A nephew who is 8, recently has been enjoying Encyclopedia Brown and Goose Bumps
A niece who turned 14 in October. English isn't her first language but she's pretty competent in it. Bearing that in mind I've tended toward graphic novels for her. I hear she's into Manga but know nothing about it.
Oh, and not a niece or nephew but I mentor a "little brother" who is 12, has some attention deficit issues, LOVES video games and animation. Last year I went the graphic novel route with him too, figuring a novel with pages and pages of nothing but text might be a struggle for him. My attempt to get him into Faulkner was not well received.
Any suggestions of timeless classics or more recent releases that have struck you as particularly engrossing? Thanks!
*I was joking about the Faulkner.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Nov 7, 2020 11:11:53 GMT -5
Jeff Smith's Bone for everyone.
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Rainbow Rosa
TI Forumite
not gay, just colorful
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Post by Rainbow Rosa on Nov 7, 2020 18:25:37 GMT -5
ANIMORPHS ANIMORPHS ANIMORPHS
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Crash Test Dumbass
AV Clubber
ffc what now
Posts: 7,058
Gender (additional): mostly snacks
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Nov 8, 2020 10:42:11 GMT -5
Owly is good for those who are pre-literate, as it is purely done in pictures. The Phantom Tollbooth is still one of my favorite books. I second Bone, but with a caveat that the first two-three books are light-hearted and comical and then all of a sudden Lord Of The Rings. It's like a Led Zeppelin song. And Azumanga Daioh is a great slice-of-life manga. I've also heard good things about Fruits Basket but haven't read it myself.
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Post by Jimmy James on Nov 8, 2020 11:38:28 GMT -5
Seconding Crash Test Dumbass 's nomination of The Phantom TollboothFor a five-year-old, I was a big fan of Frog and Toad- Frog and Toad Are Friends was the first collection, with five illustrated short stories, but the others are just as good. They're simple, cozy and soothing. The Jolly Postman and the seasonal sequel The Jolly Christmas Postman are fun- it's a picture book, but it's also interactive, with little letters the Postman is delivering between different fairytale characters that you can pull out and read (or have your parents read to you). When I was eight, one of my favorites was The Stinky Cheese Man (and Other Fairly Stupid Tales). More of a picture book than Goosebumps or Encyclopedia Brown, but it offers an off-kilter and fourth-wall-breaking take on things like the Gingerbread Man or Jack & the Beanstalk. Graeme Base also had a number of beautifully illustrated books that might be too wordy for the five-year-old but perfect for his age. The Sign of the Seahorse, set in the Great Barrier Reef, would be my pick. A Wrinkle in Time, and other Madeline L'Engle books, might be good for your 14-year-old niece. Patricia Wrede's Dealing with Dragons could also be good at that age- YA Fantasy about a spunky princess who wants to do rad adventure things instead of pining away for a dumb prince. |
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Crash Test Dumbass
AV Clubber
ffc what now
Posts: 7,058
Gender (additional): mostly snacks
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Nov 8, 2020 12:32:10 GMT -5
Oh shit, Diane Duane's So You Want To Be A Wizard series is probably good for the 14-year-old niece too!
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Post by Pastafarian on Nov 8, 2020 15:01:13 GMT -5
Thanks all! Some great stuff (most of it I've never heard of) for me to start with here. Much appreciated!
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Rainbow Rosa
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Posts: 3,604
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Post by Rainbow Rosa on Nov 8, 2020 15:12:51 GMT -5
When I was eight, one of my favorites was The Stinky Cheese Man (and Other Fairly Stupid Tales). More of a picture book than Goosebumps or Encyclopedia Brown, but it offers an off-kilter and fourth-wall-breaking take on things like the Gingerbread Man or Jack & the Beanstalk. Backing this up - I think I've said this before, but the Jon Scieszka / Lane Smith collaboration books from the '90s are on another goddamn level, aesthetically. The dada nightmare of Math Curse was my favorite as a kid:  |
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Post by Desert Dweller on Nov 10, 2020 1:29:32 GMT -5
I wouldn't mind recommendations for my niece who is turning 8 this month. She is enjoying mysteries and fantasy books.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Nov 10, 2020 9:26:05 GMT -5
We have a 6 and 8 year old and some of these are books slightly above their level that we read with them, but beloved suggestions in our house that haven’t been pitched yet:
-The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes are amazing and perfect for the nature and/or robot loving elementary student in your life
-The Cardboard Kingdom is a graphic novel with a series of stories about neighborhood kids making fantasy/Sci-if costumes and sets out of cardboard and the adventures they make up over the course of a summer
-The Mouse Guard graphic novels aren’t strictly for kids, but the art is gorgeous and our young fantasy reader are it up
-The Last Firehawk and Dragon Masters are both good early reader chapter book fantasy series
-Owl Diaries and Unicorn Diaries are also cute quasi-chapter book series with tons of pictures for a little bit lower level reader than my other suggestions
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repulsionist
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Post by repulsionist on Nov 10, 2020 15:45:39 GMT -5
5 year-old (all pronouns): Dog Man, and the Dragon series; Super Diaper Baby isn't bad, either (Dav Pilkey)
8 year-old (usually boys, because it's very, very gross - please consider this as advice coming from someone who has watched and enjoyed a variety of gore films throughout their youth): Dinosaur Rescue Series (Kyle Mewburn); alternately, for those less engrossed in gross: The Princess in Black series (Shannon and Dean Hale)
12 year-old (all pronouns): Tree Mail (Mike Raicht and Brian Smith), How to Train Your Dragon (Cressida Cowell)
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repulsionist
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actively disinterested
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Post by repulsionist on Nov 10, 2020 16:24:06 GMT -5
Here's something:
They have a children's section. It appears to offer a variety of interesting options. The Globe & Mail has some recent suggestions, also.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Nov 10, 2020 16:42:26 GMT -5
5 year-old (all pronouns): Dog Man, and the Dragon series; Super Diaper Baby isn't bad, either (Dav Pilkey)
8 year-old (usually boys, because it's very, very gross - please consider this as advice coming from someone who has watched and enjoyed a variety of gore films throughout their youth): Dinosaur Rescue Series (Kyle Mewburn); alternately, for those less engrossed in gross: The Princess in Black series (Shannon and Dean Hale)
12 year-old (all pronouns): Tree Mail (Mike Raicht and Brian Smith), How to Train Your Dragon (Cressida Cowell)
Oh yea, I kind of unabashedly love Dog Man which goes from "a bit one-note, but funny enough for kids stuff" in the first couple books to "legitimately good with much smarter callbacks, references, and character growth than it ever needed to have" |
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Post by ganews on Nov 24, 2020 11:41:01 GMT -5
Too young for a 14-year-old, potentially too old for 8, it might hit your 12-year-old right: "No Coins Please". A kid's novel about an 11-year-old who runs various money-making schemes/businesses/cons while supposedly on a field trip. In the end all the money is confiscated because laws and regulations exist. I read this in 5th grade and was a fan, which fit because I already liked John Fitzgerald's "The Great Brain" books (but those were set ~1900) and Encyclopedia Brown.
Upon reflection, these books were all written decades ago and I don't know how they jibe with modern sensibilities, so I don't mean them as recommendation necessarily. I just liked them a lot growing up.
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